Does anyone know what happened to the D&D Gazateer: Nentir Vale, the one that was promised in the D&D Rules Compendium, p.55? If the game is going to have a default setting should be have...like, oh I don't know...a setting book on it?
I think it was canceled, but there is a boxed set coming out somewhere "Threats of the Nentir Vale" or something like that...
canned or pushed back.
It doesn't make sense to have setting books for Forgotten Realms, Eberron, and Dark Sun...but not one for the CORE setting. Frustrating....I want to learn more instead of wait to get tiny pieces of the world in periodic supplements.
they did not have plans to make a setting book for the PoL in the first place
What is PoL? They did have plans for a Nentir Vale book, as listed on p.55 of Rules Compendium, if that is what you mean.
they also planned to do a KI power source back when 4e came out and scrapped it and it was put in one of the early 4e books... forget which one one of its previews I believe..( became part od the psi power source)
and times change and the best laid plans get changed, and originally stated they had no plans to make a campaign setting for the core world(even though each of the core books, from the phb to each of the MMs and (what not) power books, manual of the planes, the books of the below and above planes was written towards what was the core world.
originally, pre essentials.
that changed, and it was changed again and either canned or pushed back.
don't expect to see it and don't expect not to see it.
if you see it again on the product list, you will see it when you see it and not before
canned or pushed back.
It doesn't make sense to have setting books for Forgotten Realms, Eberron, and Dark Sun...but not one for the CORE setting. Frustrating....I want to learn more instead of wait to get tiny pieces of the world in periodic supplements.
The thing is, it's only kinda, sorta the CORE setting. It's not really a setting as much as the basic framework of a setting, which a DM can use to make their own setting. It's the mad-libs version of a campaign setting, with enough obvious blanks for each new group to make it their own and create in their own unique way.
What's the hook of PoL/ the generic setting? What sets it apart from the Realms or Greyhawk or Dragonlance? Nothing. At all. They'd need to add all that in after, which makes the world less generic and less usable as a tabula rasa world.
Every fact they detail in the (now cancelled) Gazateer would contradict a DM's personal canon. It forces a DM to change their world to accept the new book OR ignore official published content. It forces them to contradict themselves or contradict WotC.
The only reason for the generic PoL world is to have a simple starting point for new DMs and groups. If there's a wealth of information to be absorbed about the region then that defeats the entire purpose of a simple generic setting.
Anyway, I hope WoTC and D&D are doing fine. The last thing we need is another major shake-up, which would definitely be the case if the D&D license were to be sold. I have already sunk too much money into my 20 4e books! I love the way Paizo is handling Pathfinder/3.5 but I would not want to see another company have to keep D&D from dying. In a way, I miss the simple days of 1st edition. I was too young to care or understand business and economic decisions!
i started with 4e and wished I would have started my group right away with pathfinder in a setting that you can build on.
We liked the red box and easy access I have to admin.
i think the whole concept went wrong. compared to paizo and golarion the wizard concept is just frustrating. Either have a good setting and put effort into it or not. The Points of Light is nothing and just confusing.
i started with 4e and wished I would have started my group right away with pathfinder in a setting that you can build on.
We liked the red box and easy access I have to admin.
The Points of Light is an ideology, not a setting. There is no default setting. Because if there was, people would claim you had to play there. 4th edition did it right, they gave a template, and actually makes the DM work to make the world their own.
Except now, with all the whiners, they seem to feel the need to create things like this Nentir Vale threats stuff, instead of giving us more Powers and DMG, MM, PHB books. I say if people want a campaign world built for them, play Forgotten Realms.
I say if people want a campaign world built for them, play Forgotten Realms.
But, I don't wann play Forgotten Realms
Except now, with all the whiners, they seem to feel the need to create things like this Nentir Vale threats stuff, instead of giving us more Powers and DMG, MM, PHB books. I say if people want a campaign world built for them, play Forgotten Realms.
Except we don't need more powers, more PHBs or more DMGs. We already have too much of that crap, too many options, too many powers, so much that the game devolves back into book flipping to see if how player A describes a power or a source is how it is. I'm not saying PoL needs a more concrete setting (although more placesettings/locales would be cool) but we need something that isn't just a glout of more character options. In other words, modules, fantatasic locations books, primers on item and magic creation (yes, give the player and DM easier ways to make their own stuff).
However, I'll agree with the MM, especially low level monsters since I cut all xp in half so my group levels slower.
It's a false dichotomy. There is no give and take between different kinds of products when there are no products to begin with.
Except now, with all the whiners, they seem to feel the need to create things like this Nentir Vale threats stuff, instead of giving us more Powers and DMG, MM, PHB books. I say if people want a campaign world built for them, play Forgotten Realms.
Except we don't need more powers, more PHBs or more DMGs. We already have too much of that crap, too many options, too many powers, so much that the game devolves back into book flipping to see if how player A describes a power or a source is how it is. I'm not saying PoL needs a more concrete setting (although more placesettings/locales would be cool) but we need something that isn't just a glout of more character options. In other words, modules, fantatasic locations books, primers on item and magic creation (yes, give the player and DM easier ways to make their own stuff).
However, I'll agree with the MM, especially low level monsters since I cut all xp in half so my group levels slower.
I prefer more options to more world building. Because for me it is easier to build a world than to add options to a game. Though monsters are pretty easy, full classes and races are great. Personally, I would not mind seeing at least 10 more races and (pre-E style) classes.
But again, that is personally., and yes, mal, I know they just canceled it and gave us nothing in return. However, they are making a "Threats of the Nentir Vale" thing. Probably cannibalized from the previous product. Personally, I don't think we need it. But then what would the people who can't invent something of their own do for game time? ;)
As for whether we have too many options - for some of us it isn't about how many options we have, but what specific options we have. If there were no paladin class, paladin fans would still want one, even if there were already a hundred other classes to choose from. I want actual shadow classes. I would have wanted such if there were no other classes available yet, and I would still want them no matter how many classes already exist for other power sources.
Does anyone know what happened to the D&D Gazateer: Nentir Vale, the one that was promised in the D&D Rules Compendium, p.55? If the game is going to have a default setting should be have...like, oh I don't know...a setting book on it?
I think it was canceled, but there is a boxed set coming out somewhere "Threats of the Nentir Vale" or something like that...
It is a boxed set called 'Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale'.
It would have been nice if there had been a small editorial announcement that the Gazzeteer with the expanded map of the Nentir Vale had been delayed just as the books Hero Builder's Handbook, Class Compendium and Mordenkainen's Magnificent Emporium had also been delayed or cancelled.
I've found that the Nentir Vale concept works best if it's just some small backwater place on an otherwise much larger continent. That way you can use your own stuff and use printed adventures fairly easily without having to screw up your narrative. In my campaign it is basically one of the last stops before you cross the frontier into a no-man's land of wild country riddled with the shadows of ancient empires. (arkhosia and bael-turath)
I don't think PoL really needs to be any more specific than it is. Like someone said before, if they got any more specific than this one area (Nentir Vale) pretty much every campaign out there would be in conflict with printed material overnight.
One curious exception is the upcoming boardgame "Conquest of Nerath" which as I understand will have a full map of the PoL continent.